Offering the best care for your new baby
Date: 01/08/2017
Being a new parent is an exciting, happy time, and for most mums, breastfeeding is one of the most satisfying and enjoyable of experiences. It’s a time for quiet bonding as you provide your baby with the very best start in life.
In August, we celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, and all around the world, exciting events will celebrate the importance of breastfeeding. The organisers are encouraging mums, activists and decision makers – in fact anyone who’s interested – to forge new relationships, attract support and media attention, and spread the message. As the directors of both UNICEF and the World Health Organization stated last year – ‘Breastfeeding is not only the cornerstone of a child’s healthy development; it is also the foundation of a country’s development’.
For the vast majority of mums breastfeeding comes as easily as breathing, but nature sometimes makes things a little difficult. For some newborns, the simple act of sucking can be a problem, and this is sometimes caused by a tongue tie – or ankylogossia – which is an extra piece of skin that connects the floor of the mouth to the underside of the tongue. Releasing this little piece of skin can make using the tongue much easier, and improve the way new babies feed.
If you think your baby has a tongue tie, the doctors here at Spencer Private Hospitals are ready to help and reassure you. If we diagnose ankylogossia and recommend a procedure to remedy the problem, we will invite you to make an appointment, and on the day itself, you simply bring your baby along with a shawl to swaddle them in.
The procedure is simplicity itself – you carry your baby to the treatment room where a nurse will look after them. You then wait in another room while a trained health professional snips the tongue tie – for babies under four months old no anaesthetic is needed – and minutes later the nurse will bring your baby back so you can feed them immediately.
You’ll notice the benefits almost as soon as the procedure is completed – improved latch, reduced air swallowing and less discomfort for you. The risks are minimal – a little bleeding is normal and occasionally a fast-healing ulcer forms – but if you have any issues at all, our experienced specialists will be ready to offer all the advice and help you and your baby need.
Talking of specialists – the latest addition to our team is called Dr Spencer, and although he may not have any recognised medical qualifications (after all, he is a teddy bear, and being cuddly is his main job) he’s around to make our hospitals a welcoming, friendly – and hopefully less daunting – place for your little one to visit.
For this is what Spencer Private Hospitals are dedicated to offering the mums of East Kent – a stress-free gold standard service that reassures and leaves you to concentrate on the most important thing you can do – helping your baby grow up strong and healthy.
It’s easy to make an appointment with one of our consultants for you and your baby – simply call us on 0800 882 4878. Or if you’d prefer, you can email us using the enquiry form on our contact page. We look forward to hearing from you.
